From The Other Side
by Minty Says
Summary: They say that losing a child is the worst thing anyone could ever experience. Well, Anna Sheldon now knows why they say that. Mrs Sheldon one shot.


Anna Sheldon couldn't sleep.

No matter how much she tossed and turned, she couldn't seem to nod off. Sighing, she sat up, careful not to wake her husband. This wasn't the first time she hadn't been able to sleep.

Anna tiptoed into the kitchen, searching the shelves for the tin of coffee beans. She found it, and poured some into the coffee grinder. 

No, this hadn't been the first time she hadn't been able to sleep. Luckily neither her husband nor son had noticed. Anna was always sure rid her eyes of those horrible bags, even in her middle age.

She thought of her son, Robert. Robert always insisted on being called "Bob", but Anna didn't see the point. She thought Robert suited him much better.

Speaking of her son, she wondered if he was home yet. Robert had said he would be staying with a friend tonight, but there was the small chance he'd decided to come home. Anna tiptoed to her son's bedroom, and peeked in. The bed was empty.

Yawning, Anna made her way back out to the kitchen, where a fresh batch of ground coffee was waiting for her. She poured the hot liquid into her favourite cup. It was a cup Robert had given to her many birthdays ago - he must have been nine or ten. It was a white mug with pale pink writing. "Best Mom In The World!"

Anna swelled with pride as she poured, looking fondly at the cup. This was one of the few gifts Robert ever gave her. 

She thought of her son as she sat down on the couch in the living room. She'd hardly seen him lately, he was always going off with his friends to their houses. The truth was, Anna sort of missed having her son around.

She thought back to when Robert was a little boy. She remembered him to be terribly clingy, always hugging her at the hip. Anna had never wasted an opportunity to show off him off, he was always such a well-mannered boy.

Anna snapped out of her thoughts, and tiptoed back into her bedroom. She pulled out something from her purse, and tiptoed back into the living room.

She looked down at her creation. It was an almost-finished scarf she had been knitting for Robert. Anna had noticed the change in weather lately, and was always finding herself turning on the heater or closing windows. The scarf was his favourite colour, too. It was dark red.

As Anna began to knit, she finally noticed the time. Only one thirty-three! Seeing the time made Anna realise there weren't any lights on. She put down her knitting, and pulled the lamp on from the desk onto the coffee table. Turning it on, she went back to her work.

Anna was careful not to make a mistake. She didn't want Robert's scarf to have any holes in it. The thought of her son giving her a big hug and kiss when she gave him his new scarf kept her fingers keenly knitting. 

She could just remember the last time Robert had hugged her. It had been about two weeks ago, when Robert had come home from school happy. She still had no idea why he was so happy, but it was nice to receive a hug from her son once in a while.

Anna finally finished. As she put down her knitting needles, the phone rang. Gazing fondly at the scarf before standing up, she wondered vaguely if it was Robert calling, wanting a ride home. It hadn't been the first time Robert had called at all hours wanting a lift.

"Hello?" she said, picking up the phone.

"Am I speaking to Mrs Sheldon?" the voice at the other end asked. 

"You are. Can I help you?" Anna replied, twirling the phone cord with her index finger.

"This is Officer Sully. I'm afraid there's been a terrible.. err.. accident," the voice at the other end said awkwardly.

"Is it Robert? Is he alright?" Anna asked nervously.

"Mrs Sheldon, I am so sorry to tell you this.. but I'm afraid Robert Sheldon is dead."

Anna stopped mid twirl. She couldn't believe what the man had just said. 

"Mrs Sheldon, are you there?" the officer asked frantically.

"Y - yes."

"I am so sorry for your loss. We need you to come down to Tulsa Regional to claim his body."

Anna Sheldon felt her hands tremble. 

"We'll be down there as soon as we can," Anna whispered into the phone, before letting it drop comfortably into its place.

Anna walked in a daze back to her place on the couch. Sitting down, she looked at the mug of luke-warm coffee sitting on the coffee table.

She picked up the scarf. The scarf she was never able to give him. Robert was dead.

It finally sunk in. Picking up the scarf, and holding it near, she began to sob. Her son, her pride and joy, gone within a short phone call. Her Robert, her boy, dead. Anna blamed herself. How could she have let it happen? Why did she always let her Robert go out with his friends? Sure, Robert had gotten himself into some sticky situations before, but none like this.

She had to go to Tulsa Regional. She needed to claim her boy. 

Anna wiped her tears as she stood up. She needed to tell her husband. Still suffering from the shock her son's death had provided, she made her way into the master bedroom.


End file.
